Red Sox Hang On For A 4-3 Win Over The Cubs

After a pathetic shutout loss yesterday to MLB's worst team, the Boston Red Sox (32-33, 18-14 away) picked their pride up off the floor with a 4-3 win tonight against the Chicago Cubs (22-43, 14-18 home) at steamy Wrigley Field.

The difference in the game was that Boston was 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position while Chicago was 1-for-4.

Former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija (5-5) struggled with his control a bit and didn't completely fool Boston's weak-hitting lineup. He went 5.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia batted cleanup for the first time in his career and he made Bobby Valentine look like a genius (for a few hours) as he delivered with a double and two-run homer (his 12th of the season) in the fourth inning.

Will Middlebrooks had an RBI single in the sixth and Scott Podsednik (2 hits) added an RBI single in the seventh. Mike Aviles was 2-for-4 with a double and a run in the victory.

Turns out that the Red Sox needed all those runs since Jon Lester started to crumble in the seventh after cruising through six scoreless innings. He allowed a three-run bomb to Luis Valbuena (1st of the season) in the seventh. Next up, Lester struck out pinch-hitter David DeJesus but that was the end of his outing. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Scott Atchison got the last out of the seventh, Vicente Padilla had a 1-2-3 eighth for his 15th hold of the season and Alfredo Aceves worked around a single in the ninth for his 16th save of the season.

Get ready for another primetime game tomorrow night (8 p.m., ESPN) to close out this series but it goes without saying that Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN is light years ahead of Fox's painful Saturday games with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. Franklin Morales (0-1) faces former Pirate Paul Maholm (4-5) as both teams go for the series win in Boston's last game this season in a National League park. That is unless they make the World Series in October (dies laughing).

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate